Clip-on tray



Feb.10,l970 :EYLLEYBIURN 3,494,661'

' CLIP-ON TRAY Filed A ril 5, 1968 INVENTOR. DEREK LEYBURN United States Patent 3,494,661 CLIP-0N TRAY Derek Leyburn, 1270 Quenneville, Apt. 110, St. Laurent, Quebec, Canada Filed Apr. 3, 1968, Ser. No. 718,584 Claims priority, application Canada, July 7, 1967, 994,858 Int. Cl. A47c 7/62; A47b 83/02 U.S. Cl. 297-188 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A one-piece tray without any moving parts, to clip onto a garden chair or the like. The chair must have its leg spaced slightly from its seat by a washer. A vertical guide plate on the tray lies along the edge of the chair seat and extends between the chair seat and leg, a slot in the guide plate fitting over the washer between the chair leg and seat, thus to hold the tray in position with the edge of the tray lying over the chair seat.

This invention relates to a tray that will clip onto a chair, typically a folding tubular aluminum lawn chair, or the like, to hold drinks, sandwiches, towels, or other articles.

At the present time, if a table is not present, a person sitting in a folding chair must place his drink or food on the arm of the chair, or on the ground, where spills are likely to occur. Various types of trays have been suggested that will clamp onto folding chairs and other types of lawn furniture, but these trays have typically been relatively expensive to manufacture (since they employ one or more clamps) and are inconvenient to attach to and remove from a chair. A typical example of a clamp-on tray is shown in U.S. Patent. No. 3,166,354 issued Jan. 19, 1965 to Sorensen.

A further U.S. Patent, No. 3,017,219 issued Jan. 16, 1962 to Mallett, shows a detachable table top that requires no clamps, but it does require two lawn chairs arranged parallel in carefully spaced relationship, so that the table top can fit over the arms of the two chairs. This is an arrangement that is inconvenient, since the users of chairs do not usually wish to trouble themselves to arrange their chairs carefully to accommodate a tray, and in addition it means that one tray must be shared by two users.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple clip-on tray, requiring no clamps, that will clip firmly and in a simple manner onto a seat such as a folding tubular chair, to provide a platform for food, drinks, etc. For reasons that will become apparent, the seat must be of the type in which the edge of the seating surface and the leg are slightly spaced from each other by a connecting member (typically a washer with a rivet passing therethrough).

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following disclosure, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a tray according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing the tray of FIGURE 1 clipped onto a typical chair;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view looking down on the tray in position on the chair of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 shows the connection between the leg and seat frame of the chair of FIG. 3; 1

FIGURE 5 shows a modification of the tray of FIG- URE l; and

FIGURE 6 is a plan view looking downwardly on the tray of FIGURE 5 as positioned on a chair.

Referring firstly to FIGURES 1 to 4, a tray accord- "ice ing to the present invention is generally indicated at 2. The tray includes a generally horizontal receptacle member 4, connected to a substantially vertical guide plate generally indicated at 6. The plate 6 thus divides the horizontal receptacle member 4 into a relatively narrow flat strip or edge portion 8 (used to assist in supporting the tray, as will be described) and a broader article re-' ceiving portion 10.

The guide plate 6 includes a guide portion 12 extending below the tray and extending lengthwise generally parallel to the edge of the edge portion or strip 8. The plate 6 also includes an insert portion 14 extending lengthwise beyond the horizontal receptacle member 4 and extending vertically both above and below the upper surface of the receptacle member 4. The insert portion 14 includes a slot 16 in its lower surface.

The tray 2 fits onto a chair as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The chair, shown in FIGURES 2 to 4, includes a tubular aluminum member 18 defining the side edge of the seating surface of the chair. Conventional plastic Webbing, indicated at 19, will typically be fastened to the tubular member 18 for forming the remainder of the seating surface. The chair also includes an upwardly directed leg 20 to the top of which is connected a conventional arm rest 22. A rivet or bolt 24 connects the tubular seat frame member 18 to the leg 20 (FIG. 4). The frame member 18 is spaced slightly from the leg 20, typically by a washer 23. (This spacing is conventionally provided, to prevent the plastic webbing 19 from rubbing on the leg when the chair is folded.)

The tray 2 fits onto the chair with the narrow edge strip 8 lying over the seating surface of the chair, i.e. over the tubular member 18. The vertical guide plate 6 lies lengthwise alongside the edge of the tubular member 18, while the insert portion 14 fits between the leg 20 and the tubular member 18, the rivet 24 being accommodated in the slot 16.

This arrangement holds the tray firmly on the chair in a position to support food, drinks or the like. It is of course essential that the chair be of the type that has a connecting member (which may be a rivet or bolt such that shown at 24, or may be a wood frame) between the edge of seat and the chair leg, and that there be suflicient space between the leg and the side edge of the seating surface to accommodate the vertical plate 6. It is found in practice that a tray such as that shown in FIGURES 1 to 4 will fit a wide variety of chairs, only one size of tray being needed. The tray may conveniently be molded of plastic, and if desired, a circular recess, as shown at 25, may be provided to hold a glass.

A modification of the invention is shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, where primed reference numerals indicate corresponding parts. In the tray of FIGURES 5 and 6, the edge support portion 8' of the tray extends the entire length of the vertical plate 6', and the article supporting portion 10' of the tray also extends the length of the plate 6, except for a horizontal slot 26. The slot 26 is dimensioned so that it will accommodate a standard diameter tubular aluminum chair leg. This arrangement gives added rigidity to the mounting of the tray on a chair. A slight disadvantage of the FIGURES 5 and 6 arrangement is that a given tray will fit fewer types of chairs, because of the requirement that the chair leg 20' fit in the slot 26.

In the FIGURES 5 and 6 embodiment, the receptacle portion 4 has been formed to provide an ash tray indicated at 28. One vertical wall 30 of the ash tray may be used to constitute part of the vertical plate 6' if desired. It will be realized that the receptacle portion 4' can be made in numerous special shapes (e.g. in the form of a towel bar) to suit the particular purpose for which the tray is to be used.

It may be desirable, where the article receiving portion is to receive food or drinks, as in the FIGURE 1* embodiment, to have the surface of the article receiving portion 10 sloping slightly upwardly from the horizontal commencing from the guide plate 6, but normally this is not necessary since the insert portion of the guide plate 6 will be braced against the chair leg to prevent tilting of the tray.

It will be noted that the tray may be placed on a chair in either of two positions. In one of these positions, shown in FIGURES 1 to 3, the article receiving portion extends from the leg toward the back of the chair with the edge be made from other materials, e.g. wood, or even wire shaped in an appropriate manner.

What I claim as my invention is: 1. A tray for clip-on attachment to a seat of the type includnig a horizontal seating surface having a side edge,

a leg extending upwardly past said side edge, and a substantially horizontal connecting member extending past said side edge to connect said seating surface to said leg, said side edge of said seating surface being spaced from said leg, said tray comprising;

(a) a receptacle member having a substantially horizontal flat edge surface adapted to be supported at least in part by the portion of said seating surface adjacent said side edge,

(b) guide means depending from said receptacle member adjacent said flat edge portion and adapted to lie alongside said side edge of said seating surface,

(c) said guide means including a thin insert portion adapted to lie between the side edge of said seating surface and said leg, said insert portion'having a slot in the lower surface thereof to receive said connecting member,

so that said tray may be fitted onto said seat with said fiat edge surface of said receptacle member lying over said seating surface adjacent said side edge of said seating surface, over at least part of the length .of said flat edge surface, said guide means lying alongside said side edge over at least part of the length of said guide means, and said slot in said insert portion fitted over said connecting member.

2. A tray according to claim 1 wherein said horizontal receptacle member includes a horizontal slot adjacent said insert portion of said guide means and on the side of said guide means remote from said flat edge surface, to receive said leg of said seat, so that when said tray is clipped onto said seat, said leg extends upwardly through said horizontal slot.

3. A tray according to claim 1 wherein said guide means is a vertical plate extending along at least half the length of said horizontal receptacle member.

4. A tray according to claim 3 wherein said insert portion of said guide means extends both above and below the upper surface of said horizontal receptacle member.

5. A tray for clip-on attachment to a seat of the type having a horizontal seating surface including a side edge, a leg extending upwardly past said side edge, and a substantially horizontal connecting member extending past said side edge to connect said seating surface to said leg, said side edge of said seating surface being spaced from said leg, said tray including (a) a receptacle member having a substantially horizontally oriented narrow flat edge portion adapted to be supported at least in part by said seating surface adjacent said side edge, and an article receiving portion connected to said edge portion,

(b) a substantially vertical guide plate between said fiat edge portion and said article receiving portion, said guide plate depending from the lower surface of said edge portion and adapted to lie lengthwise alongside said side edge of said seating surface,

(c) said guide plate having a thin insert portion adapted to lie between said side edge of said seating surface and said leg, said insert portion having a slot in the lower edge thereof to receive said connecting member, said insert portion extending lengthwise beyond that part of said article receiving portion immediately adjacent thereto, and extending above and below the upper surface of said edge portion,

so that said tray may be fitted onto said seat with said edge portion of said receptacle member lying over said seating surface adjacent said side edge of said seating surface, over at least part of the length of said receptacle member, said guide plate lying alongside said side edge along at least part of the length of said guide plate, and said slot in said insert portion of said guide plate fitted over said connecting member, thus to hold said tray in position on said seat.

6. A tray according to claim 5 wherein said article receiving portion includes a substantialy flat article receiving surface adjacent said insert portion, said article receiving surface having a horizontal slot therein adjacent said insert portion on the side of said insert portion remote from said edge portion, said horizontal slot extending lengthwise beyond the part of said insert portion containing said first mentioned slot, so that when said tray is clipped onto said seat with said connecting member in said first mentioned slot, said leg extends upwardly through said horizontal slot.

7. A tray according to claim 6 wherein said guide plate extends along at least half the length of said receptacle member.

8. A tray according to claim 6 wherein said article receiving portion slants upwardly at a slight angle from the horizontal, from said vertical guide plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,650,651 9/1953 Choate 297- 2,865,432 12/1958 Dearing 10847 X 2,919,096 12/1959 Cohen 248-224 3,194,600 7/1965 Junkunc 297-l60 3,338,628 8/1967 Evans l0847 X 3,367,714 2/1968 Stone 297l60 FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 108-47; 297--160 

